HBU went into the match well prepared having lost both the water bottles and the match ball. Chris Espejo was back in the HBU side having practised for the first time since sustaining a back injury when the England team went to Argentina in 2001. Philip McVey was carrying an injury he received in the Kent League last Saturday night.
Letchworth went into the game with their usual high energy and commitment and the ball wasn’t running for HBU on a sticky Herne Bay summer night. Attempt after attempt on the Letchworh goal brought no result for HBU and was a high risk strategy depending on Dan Barton to be on top form (no girls in the Letchworth side so it wasn’t as risky as against Sheffield). Halfway through the first half the breakthrough came from Simon Hosking and a penalty scored by Phil put HBU 2 up by the interval.
After the restart, what passed for an HBU box defence came completely unstuck after an attack and allowed Darrel Pearce in for a goal. That galvanised HBU into action and Neil Austin scored when his slap shot deflected off a defender. 30 seconds later Simon Hosking set Brendan Barker up for the perfect sweep in on the left post to make it 4 – 1.
HBU failed to put fresh legs into the game at the time out and allowed a further Letchworth goal from Nigel Allen. Hosking came off to give Sam Jackson his first run of the game which took the pressure HBU. When Hosking returned for an exhausted Barker the heat was turned up again which produced an excellent goal for Jackson. At this point the fun started with remarks from the Letchworth bench that ended in red cards for Carlos Amaral and Andrew Allen and a penalty for Phil McVey to do it again and make it 6 – 2.
The closing 2 minutes saw some HBU show-boating between Hosking and Jackson trying to juggle the ball into the Letchworth net but Jess I’Anson was given too much space and he swept the ball in to narrow it to 6 – 3 at full time.
A hot summer’s night and referees (this time John Miller and Steve Taylor) dishing cards out all over the place for the second week running in Herne Bay. Three yellow cards to each team on the floor including both goalkeepers plus Amaral’s and Allen’s yellow then red on the bench. HBU and the Bury boys adjourned for a cold drink in the pub.
Submitted by Ron Barker
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Reporter: Kos Galtos
